World Bank2025-01-062025-01-062025-01-06https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42616The economy of Kazakhstan has performed strongly since the turn of the century, growing at an annual rate of 4.7 percent from 2006 to 2021. Sustained economic and productivity growth brought higher incomes and a period of prosperity. Between 2006 and 2021, the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) (in constant LCU) rose from 548,912 to 791,285 tenge, and household consumption per capita (in constant LCU) rose from 279,891 to 500,529 tenge. As poverty fell and living standards rose, the country transitioned from lower-middle-income to upper-middle-income status. Disparities persist, although poverty fell significantly in all regions of Kazakhstan. The demographic profile of poverty has also changed, as poor people are now more likely to be younger, less educated, and have larger families. Chronic poverty, defined as consistent poverty over time, also decreased significantly, with rates of chronic poverty dropping by 37 percent (from 8.4 to 5.3 percent) between 2011-13 and 2019-21. The main driver of poverty reduction has been consumption growth. Income inequality has increased since 2016 but remains low relative to other upper-middle-income countries.en-USCC BY-NC 3.0 IGONO POVERTYDECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTHPoverty AssessmentWorld Bank10.1596/42616